Madness and Mayhem and Magic
by Aliathe
Summary: Byakuran and Fran, from suspicion to death. [au] [replacement!verse] [fem!fran] [10026]


**Disclaimer:**

_KHR! rights go to Akira Amano._

_The cover picture is, actually, mine._

* * *

_They were suspicious, at first. Strangers_.

Bitter, cynical Fran had no reason at all to trust the white-haired boy who knew too much, and many reasons to be wary.

Careful, manipulative Byakuran had no reason at all to trust the tealette girl who was far too unexpected, and many reasons to be wary.

Their agendas were different, their journeys to reach their dreams were different.

Luckily, the other seemed to have an important step to their goal, so they met and planned and watched with hawk-like eyes, each one hiding their hand of cards close to their chest, each one as tight-lipped, too.

A vague and supposedly mutually beneficial agreement was born.

.

"_I'm the Giglio Nero Boss, and you're the Gesso Boss. Right now, we're having a talk about our Famiglias' futures. And that's the only that matters, isn't it?"_

.

"_Where did you get the Sky Mare Ring!?"_

"_A little brain gave it to me. Why?"_

.

"_Why do you assume I would try conning you?"_

"_Oh, please, think me not a fool, would you? I've got ears, you know, and there's no lack for whispers. It's not paranoia when they're really out to get you."_

.

"_So what are you going to do?"_

"_That depends. What can I do to counter what __you're__ about to do?"_

"_Me? All I want is Ultimate Power. Is that too much to ask for?"_

"_You're about as humble as a peacock, Gesso. Let's assume I agree to reasonable trade. What happens next?"_

.

"_I want equal rights. Actual equal rights, none of your fancy puppetry."_

"_Well, I've never __tried__ co-ruling before, but I've never said it __wasn't__ something I was willing to try."_

.

"_The difference between you and me when talking about morals, is that the lines of 'good' and 'bad' are blurred for me, while you simply don't seem to duly care very much."_

.

Fran, to keep the Giglio Neros from extinction, no matter how much she disliked them. /For you.../

Byakuran, to shape a perfect utopian world, no matter what he had to do to get there. /For you.../

/_**I'll do it for **__**you**__**...**_/

And you know what they say.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Too bad Fran already had a Hell Ring.

_._

_._

_._

_They were business, second. Colleagues._

After a few months, they got comfortable with each other.

Or, at the very least, they stopped tensing up in each others' presences.

A sort of routine was established.

.

Fran:

_Wake up, bathroom routine, dressed, and either breakfast in the Dining Hall, or breakfast ordered alone in her room._

_Do some paperwork, walk around a bit, micromanage and instruct._

_Assign duties, more paperwork, review defense plans._

_Daily meetings with captains and other subordinates._

_Lunch alone in the office._

_Paperwork, paperwork, nap, paperwork._

_Train, upgrade equipment, oversee drills and lessons for the 'Gray Spell'._

_Read through proposed plans for… classified stuff, paperwork, paperwork._

_Read through complaints and compliments and recommendations, as per the duties of Head of 'Human Resources'._

_Dinner in the Dining Hall, or with the other captains._

_Discussions with Byakuran about general affairs and management._

_End up having an argument with Byakuran about general affairs and management._

_Resolve and compromise with Byakuran about general affairs and management._

_Share a before-bed dessert with Byakuran. (Not her fault they both have sweet tooths…)_

_Go to sleep._

.

Byakuran:

_Wake up, bathroom routine, dressed, and either breakfast in the Dining Hall, or breakfast with 'Sho-chan'/ 'Francy-chan'. (Sadly, the former always stutters a lot, the latter always looks distinctly unimpressed.)_

_Do some paperwork, walk around a bit, micromanage and instruct._

_Assign duties, more paperwork, review offense plans._

_Daily meetings with captains and other subordinates._

_Lunch in the Dining Hall or with a subordinate who he needs to keep an eye on, or with Sho-chan/Francy-chan._

_Delegate paperwork, delegate paperwork, nap and marshmallow break, delegate paperwork._

_Train, upgrade equipment, oversee drills and lessons for the 'White Spell'._

_Read through proposed plans for… classified stuff, muse on progress towards the Tri-Ni-Set, meddle among the Millefiore._

_Read through reports and statistics and warnings, as per the duties of Head of … Battle?_

_Dinner in the Dining Hall, or with the other captains, or with Sho-chan/Francy-chan._

_Discussions with Francy-chan about general affairs and management._

_End up having an argument with Francy-chan about general affairs and management._

_Resolve and compromise with Francy-chan about general affairs and management._

_Share a before-bed dessert with Francy-chan. (It's so fun teasing her and watching for reactions through her blankness...)_

_Go to sleep._

.

It was… strangely domestic. And comforting. In a way.

Fran was irritated but resigned upon realization.

Byakuran was amused but surprised upon realization.

But neither of them bothered changing their schedule.

/_**It fits… so why does it matter at all?**_/

_._

_._

_._

_They were support, third. Allies._

Years blurred, until they settled into an easier, more relaxed camaraderie.

Secrets were exchanged, problems were confessed.

There was no need, anymore, to have to ask and then bargain something of equal value. They could just _ask_, and they would _help_.

It felt… nice.

It felt… like… _trust_.

.

Fran sometimes worried over it, of course. She worried about placing sensitive information in the care of someone who she knew very little about.

His past, his blood family, his true goals and aspirations… nothing. Nil. Nadda.

But she knew enough.

She knew what mattered.

She knew that Byakuran was insecure about his position, that he was afraid of those he had faith in and commanded turning on him, ousting him, leaving him behind.

She knew that Byakuran had issues with the matter of 'love', be it loyalty 'love', friendship 'love', romantic 'love', or worst of all, family 'love', and that his clinginess to his 'Sho-chan' despite the obvious signs of future betrayal was because of his need to assert their friendship 'love'.

She knew that Byakuran smiled and laughed and _lived_, day to day, because "someone I cherished wanted me to".

She knew that Byakuran's marshmallows weren't just a sweet that he liked; they signified something to him, something important and vast and _treasured_.

She knew that Byakuran needed to _know_ things, needed to reassure himself that things were predictable and able to be planned for, and that if they weren't than he panicked internally and got this scared_bewildered__**no-not-again**_ glint in his eyes that scared her.

She knew that Byakuran _hurt_ on the inside whenever he ordered a hit or an 'extermination', and would often spend days on end looking slightly (so very slight that she seemed to be the only one who could spot it) guilty, retreating to his office to read through the profiles of every deceased, whether it be a Millefiore or an enemy/victim, but would cover it up in time and bolster on to order another attack, another "step on my way to my goal".

She knew that Byakuran knew _she_ knew those things about him, and appreciated it when she'd drop by and try to comfort him in her clumsy, unsure, but _real_ way, with her blankets and her acid remarks and her platters of all his favorite sugary confections for them to share over a cheesy movie marathon.

(They had fun criticizing the bad acting and worse directing, and for laughs, they'd sometimes have a "hypotheticallly… what if?" game and try to cast Millefiore members into the actors' roles; of course, then the mentioned members would look confused the next day when their co-Bosses began breaking out into snickers around them.)

Often, she didn't know the reasoning, didn't know the _why_.

But she knew enough.

And that would have to do.

.

Byakuran sometimes worried over it, of course. He worried about giving potentially devastating intelligence to someone who he knew very little about.

Her motivations, her thoughts, her little "moods" where she'd sink into a frightening sort of apathy for days after seeing one of her "visions"… zero. Zilch. Zappity-doo-da.

But he knew enough.

He knew what mattered.

He knew that Fran was uncertain about family relationships, that she was afraid of her Famiglia's rejections and lack of belief in her, thinking herself doomed to be a useless back-up in the shadow of her shining mother and sister.

He knew that Fran had issues with the matters of 'emotions', usually the harsher, more vibrant feelings which she had trouble understanding how to react to and reciprocate, and that her bland monotone was from her self-consciousness of the overwhelming frustration and _terror_ at not feeling 'normal' like everyone else, at not being able to tell apart 'good' and 'bad' as easily or at all.

He knew that Fran blanked her features and shuttered herself into a cocoon of indifference, day to day, because she was scared of _caring_ and then _losing_, being _let down again just like her mother and sister had disappeared_; it was, she felt, easier than running the risk, and after a while it became natural and too hard to fix (and she always did hate the word 'fixed', as if implying there was something 'wrong' with her).

He knew that Fran's guava candies weren't just an exotic candy to her; they symbolized something to her, something meaningful and internal and _precious_.

He knew that Fran liked to stay busy, stay active, stay _not bored, _since she always pondered too long and too deep and dwelled too long on thoughts that should stay mysteries, and when that happened she'd completely close off and wander around like a machine for weeks, eyes truly blank and apathetic and having a scarily dispassionate logic with no motivation for _anything_.

He knew that Franhated the cold fiercely, with a passion that bordered on a phobia, because though she liked to have peace, too much silence and isolation reminded her too much of memories better left untouched, and being cold was a trigger to being _alone, unwanted_; so she buries herself in furs and scarves and cloaks and surrounds herself with _warmth_ to assure herself that there were still people there, people who were _warm_ and _alive_ and _substantial_ and _definite _and _**always there for**__**her.**_

He knew that Fran knew _he_ knew those things about her, and appreciated it when he'd drop by and try to comfort her in his fumbling, awkward, but _genuine_ way, with his joking manner and his playful comments and his bowls of all her favorite steaming soups for them to share over a cheesy 'game night'.

(Monopoly between them was always very tense, and card games were always gambled with real money and occasionally the rare favor.)

Mostly, he didn't know the reasoning, didn't know the _why_.

But he knew enough.

And that would have to do.

.

Fran still regularly insulted Byakuran, of course.

Byakuran still regularly mocked Fran, naturally.

Yet, between the two… they had an understanding.

If one needed something, more often than not the other would've already anticipated it and fetched it for them.

There were rumors about them, as there usually were.

The majority of the Millefiore seemed to believe that they were in a relationship, and "supported their love".

Fran and Byakuran would always exchange wry looks and shake their heads in unison, and if the rumors weren't malicious, than they made no attempts to stop them.

After all, _they_ knew that they were just allies.

… maybe even _friends_.

But a _relationship?_

_**/Pfft, yeah, no way./**_

_._

_._

_._

_They were affectionate, fourth. Partners._

Falling in love requires one to fall in _like_ first.

.

If asked, Fran would reply that she honestly had no clue when she realized she loved Byakuran.

(Well, actually, if asked, Fran would refuse to reply with anything other than a scowl and a, "Fuck off and stay out of my business.")

(Byakuran called her a 'tsundere' behind her back; she could tell, of course, but she grudgingly let it go.)

_(And-no-she-was-not-__**blushing-**__what-the-hell-are-you-__**talking-**__about!?)_

But privately, she supposed it began when it finally dawned on her that they were… _fond_ of each other.

Balanced each other out.

(She was definitely more mellow now.)

They spent a lot of time together.

Confidantes.

They _cared_.

And that kinda scared her.

_Caring_, that is.

Because she was so used to _not caring_, that suddenly _caring_ and knowing that her peaceful life would be shattered _again_ if Byakuran left her just like Aria and Yuni left _her_. She didn't want to be left behind_ again._

(Fran didn't know if she could handle it if Byakuran didn't just leave _her; _if… if Byakuran_ left life_ _permanently_. As in, the _dead_ kind of _permanently._)

.

"_Hey," she called softly, sitting up on her bed, crosslegged. Fran shivered from the sudden cold but patiently waited for an answer, gently lifting a large white wing onto her lap. Her fingers smoothed and stroked the feathers, straightening crooked ones and basking in the warmth radiated._

"_Mmmrff," the other figure in the bed mumbled into a pillow. He turned slightly, and answered tiredly with a yawn. "Yeah?"_

_A hesitation came before she replied; she was worried it'd sound foolish. "Just… if you ever leave, promise you'll let me come with you. If you ever die, promise you'll let me follow, too. ...Okay?"_

_His words were prompt and surprisingly clear for someone who'd just woken up. "Of course. I won't make you promise to live if you don't want to; sometimes, sometimes living is harder than dying, you know? But… try not to overthink it, alright? You always do, and stress out over nothing. If it happens, it happens. Go back to sleep; we're safe right now, and that's what matters most, isn't it?" _

_Fran could tell by his soft tone that he meant to be soothing. She cracked a smile. "You're right, I guess," she muttered, then sank back onto the sheets and burrowed into the piles of blankets (mostly for her and her fear of the cold)._

"_Good night, and thanks," Fran mumbled, nestling into the wing she'd been holding like another blanket, feeling lulled to sleep by the reassuringly familiar sensation of silken feathers sliding over one another._

"_Good night, and welcome," Byakuran mumbled back, curling his wings tighter around them._

.

If asked, Byakuran would reply that he had known he was interested in Fran ever since they first met and he'd been unable to predict what she'd do next.

(Well, actually, if asked, Byakuran would simply answer with a scarily sharp smile and look that said, "I dare you to ask me that again, and as a warning, no one's ever been able asked me more than twice.")

(Fran called him a 'closet yandere' behind his back; he could tell, of course, but he'd always laugh when the subject came up.)

_(And-no-that-was-not-__**blood-**__I'm-sorry-but-are-you-__**seeing**__-things?)_

But to himself, he supposed _it_, whatever '_it'_ was, began when it finally dawned on him that they were… _close _to each other.

Weighed each other out.

(He was definitely more genuine now.)

They spent a lot of time together.

Secret-keepers.

They _cared_.

And that kinda scared him.

_Caring_, that is.

Because he was so used to _avoiding caring_, that suddenly _caring_ and knowing that his successful world would be torn _again_ if Fran left him just like Bianca left _him_. He didn't want to be left behind_ again._

(Byakuran didn't know if he could handle it if Fran didn't just leave _him; _if… if Fran_ left life permanently_. As in, the _dead_ kind of _permanently._)

.

Nothing changed drastically between them.

Nothing really needed to.

They were already _there_… they just didn't know until they _knew_.

It was peaceful…

...happy…

..._nice_…

Gamma had broken down into a little fatherly _"oh-my-little-girl-is-growing-up-so-fast"_.

Well.

Not really.

But he _did_ request to be the one "giving away" the bride.

Fran agreed, if only because he _had_ kinda been Aria's second husband.

Byakuran had no qualms with it if his _lovely misty black lily_ agreed.

(His 'lovely misty black lily' scowled and called him a piece of 'white orchid chalk' in return.)

And the wedding bells tolled and invitations were sent to every Millefiore.

(Yes, even Genkishi, that traitorous bastard.)

Then the attack came.

_._

_._

_._

_They were together. Even in death._

It was unexpected.

A surprise.

And not an _interesting_ surprise like the ones they often set up and delighted in.

From an outsider's viewpoint, Fran supposed it had been the prime time to launch an ambush.

Nearly every Millefiore was in attendance, after all.

She'd been dressed in an actual dress for once, feeling the glow of happy bliss.

A look at her husband-to-be's face confirmed that he felt the same.

They'd been smiling at each other, real, genuine smiles that sent a warm wave of contentedness tingling through her body, from her fingertips to her toes.

Her in her silk-and-satin grey-and-white dress, with white bows and ribbons and Byakuran's own shed feathers adorning both her clothes and her hair, her hair which was long and cascading behind her, _pretty _for once, held in place by slim ornamental chopsticks. A spray of delicate black lilies and white orchids intertwined with each other in the crook of her arm.

(The church where the ceremony was held was decorated with exactly a thousand black lilies and a thousand white orchids; they'd ordered them and had them each counted by hand.)

Him in his silk-and-satin matching grey-and-white suit, with a boutonniere of an orchid-lily crossbreed, dyed into two perfect halves of black and white. His white spikes had been tamed down somewhat, and his lavender eyes were drinking in her own teal irises.

"I now declare you," Nosaru announced with a madly grinning face. He paused and winked at everyone in attendance, before slamming the 'marriage vows' book shut. "Husband and wife! You may kiss!~"

Everyone in the packed seats roared with approval and several tossed up hats in celebration. Some were even concealing sniffles while others outright bawled at "the beauty! The sentiment!"

The newlywed couple ignored them all, and slowly leaned forward...

… _**/I love you.../…**_

And then the doors came crashing down…

. . . the walls came caving in…

. . . and pandemonium broke loose in the form of a Vongola-emblazoned banner.

.

Screams and shouts echoed around the partially destroyed building, and all who'd survived the initial onslaught were either fighting back with war-cries of utter rage, or helping to dig out those unlucky enough to be caught under the debris.

Being the highest-profile targets there, as well as the most easily spotted and ill-equipped, Byakuran and Fran were almost immediately under fire.

Some of their subordinates tried their best to shield them, but they were outnumbered and outgunned.

No one expects an attack on their wedding day, after all.

Byakuran snapped out his wings and called out his Box Weapon Dragons.

The rest of the Mare Ring holders followed suit with their Boxes of Carnage.

After that, it was mostly a terrified_furious__**how-**__**dare**__**-they**_ blur of motion and adrenaline and outright _slaughter_.

Slaughter for which side?

Both, naturally.

They were caught off guard, but never let it be said that the Millefiore weren't top-notch battlers.

Unfortunately, you know how the saying goes…

…"they only need to get lucky once."

Well, in this case, they didn't get lucky once at all.

They got lucky twice.

And _oh_, they were _so goddamned __**close **_to _**ending**_ it, to _**winning**_, but then a sniper hit them.

"Them" being the newlyweds.

"Them" being Fran.

"Them" being Byakuran.

.

"_So," Fran choked out, spluttering up blood droplets. "S-so, Is this how w-we're meant to go? W-w-with blood and scorch marks and tears in our o-o-oh-so-pretty clothes? D-Damnit, I __**knew**__ I should've a-asked for a refund that day."_

_Byakuran laughed, hazily shaking his head. "Nah. W-what's __**really**__ a waste would b-be all that m-m-money and time we spent m-making sure we had a th-thousand of each of the flo-flow-flowers. Oh, and le-letting that N-No-Nosaru guy be our officiator. An online certificate is __**n-n-not**__ proper credentials."_

_The two laid in silence for a bit, a silence marred by the explosions and gunshot and voices in the background. Their heads touched, with their bodies forming an upside down 'V'. After a bit of a struggle, Fran managed to crawl her hand over and grab onto Byakuran's hand._

"_So w-we're linked to-toge-together," she explained clumsily, tripping over her words with difficulty because of the blood-swollen tongue. _

_He made a sort of agreeing sound at the back of his throat._

"_How lon-long do y-you thi-think until someone n-n-notices w-we've been shot?" he wondered._

"_Pro-probably a f-few more mi-minutes," Fran decided, scooching a little closer. "We m-ma-managed to kill that f-fucking sn-sniper, r-right? And i-in the ch-chaos, it'll b-be a w-wh-while until anyone n-notices the ma-main tar-targets ar-are d-down."_

_Sure enough, they could dimly hear a sudden hush in the decibel level as a blurry voice shouted that, "Byakuran-sama and Fran-sama are missing!"_

"_He-hey," Byakuran croaked out, nudging her fingers which were loosening rapidly._

"_Y-Yeah?"_

"_Re-Remember th-that pr-promise w-we ma-made?"_

_/My eyes are tired… my __**everything**__ is tired… maybe a nap…? W-wait, n-no, a nap is… bad… I think…?/ Fran thought groggily as she struggled to remain coherent enough to answer._

"_Y-yeh-yeessss…"_

_Harried footsteps were coming closing, alarmed voices rising, all a babble of words, babble of words..._

"_L-loo-looks li-like w-we ke-kep-kept it, hu-huh?"_

_A sigh from the man with the purple-tattooed cheek._

_No answer from the woman with the dark blue eye markings._

_No __**verbal**__ one, anyway..._

_**...**__**/I love you, Byakuran/Fran./**__**…**_

_A minute later, Gamma reached the couple with the oddly content smiles on their faces._

_Half a minute later, he proclaimed, with tearful eyes, that they had both been shot a few inches over from the heart, and had died from bloodloss._

_Needless to say, after that, the Millefiore utterly __**annihilated**__ the Vongola troops._

_But Millefiore was never quite the same…_

* * *

_**#**_

_**#**_

_**#**_

_**Okay. **_

_**Like, omigosh. **_

_**Even **__**I**__** nearly cried from the overload of **__**feels**__** in this, and **__**I'm**__** the one **__**writing**__** the thing. **_

_**So yeah. **_

_**Here's your belated Valentine's Day present. **_

_**Excuse while I go over there and sniffle into a box of tissues now…**_

_**#**_

_**#**_

_**~Please Review~ **_

_**And please tell me what you think of this, and whether or not you'd like to see an alternative, happier ending.**_

_**~I appreciate reviews like Gokudera appreciates being the right-hand man of the Juudaime!~**_


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